


Don’t Know How to Say It

by alyeskachi



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Sad, Saiyans, Short Story, Takes place somewhere between when Trunks arrives to the planet and Goku gets a heart disease, Vegeta misses being with Saiyans, Vegeta misses home, mentions of depression, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28000689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alyeskachi/pseuds/alyeskachi
Summary: Goku and Vegeta are many things; husbands, fathers, mentors, and even some of earth’s strongest/greatest fighters. What they aren’t is good at talking – about anything.OrThe one where a female Saiyan and former lover of Vegeta’s comes to planet Earth, and steals Vegeta away from Goku.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Piccolo (Dragon Ball), Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Vegeta (Dragon Ball)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: Kakavege Week





	1. Chapter 1

Goku didn't like what was happening. He didn't like how everyone gathered around to offer their help to the fallen warrior, or how some of them, Vegeta included shot him a dirty look. It wasn't his fault that she'd come out of nowhere, claiming to be searching for Vegeta, and he'd instantly thought the worst.

Most people did not like Vegeta. 

How was he to blame?

"Bring me Prince Vegeta!" She had bellowed, hands on her hips and feet an inch from the ground, she didn't even try to subdue her power levels — not that she needed to, as she was a pretty base level warrior. Still though, he didn't think their race was that stupid. "Did you hear me? I said bring me Prince Vegeta." 

Goku's eyebrows furrowed then, and he shook his head. "What do you want with Vegeta?"

She blinked, glaring at him incredulously. "You insolent little — how dare you address the Prince without his title! What have you done with him!?" The air around her crackled with intensifying energy, clearly she was getting worked up, and would only continue to boil the longer she didn't get what she wanted. 

"How do you know him!?" Goku asked, taking in her appearance; her skin was a dusty brown and her eyes a dark grey, her hair was long, and fashioned into a low pony-tail that reached the back of her calves. Her rounded cheeks bore dark freckles, and her attire consisted of a thick cable knit, that was ripped in several places, though her feet were bare. 

"You dare question me!" She screamed, practically fuming at this point. If smoke could come out of her ears, it would be. "If you won't bring me to him then you are of no use to me!" Then she dove towards him, and the fight begun. 

When he had thought that he'd beaten her, he rushed back to Capsule Corp to announce his findings to his friends and family, unbeknownst to him, the buff female had followed him and shown herself before Goku could get an explanation out.

Vegeta had taken one look at her, and his usual steely facade had fallen. "Koshou." He mumbled, uncrossing his arms and taking careful steps towards her. 

"Prince Vegeta!" She called. "My prince!" 

That brought them to where they were now, with the gang trying their hardest to care for her wounds, and Vegeta sitting at the hilt to make sure that she was okay. He still didn't know who this person was, more specifically, he didn't know who she was to Vegeta, and he did not like how familiar they were with one another. 

"Goku, instead of standing there gawking why don't you go get some food or something?" Bulma called from the female's side, and Vegeta didn't even look up or comment, it stung, especially considering how close they'd become in the last few weeks. Vegeta hadn't treated him like this since.. since forever. 

Instead of asking, he did as he was told, and waited for everyone to join him at the table – including Koushou, the name that Vegeta had mentioned upon seeing her for the first time. He knew her, and she seemed better as she walked alongside him, coming up to just his shoulder. 

"Vegeta, we helped your friend," Krillin said, taking a seat on the other side of Goku, who still remained silent as he locked eyes with the female warrior, her gaze was intense and steely, much like Vegeta's. "Now tell us who this girl is, I want to know who I'm saving these days." They all nodded and murmured in agreement, Vegeta sighed.

"This is Koushou, a saiyan warrior from Planet Vegeta." The room went quiet, despite a few forks scraping against plates awkwardly. "And also.. a lover, of mine. From before." He seemed uncomfortable, like he didn't even know where to start with this story, or if he even wanted to go into details. 

"Thought you could get rid of me, didn't you Prince?" She teased, though Goku noticed the flirty undertones in her words almost immediately, he didn't even have to look at her to know. 

"Ah.. the planet did get destroyed." He answered, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as though he was frustrated, but Goku could tell he just wanted something to do with his hands, he knew him well enough to know that. 

Goku reached for his glass, and brought it to his lip to take a drink. "You were always the type to hit it and quit it." The earth raised Saiyan choked the rest of his water down, his body ached, and he wanted to leave more than anything. 

"No way! This grump? Please," Bulma laughed, slamming a hand down onto the table in disbelief, plates rattled at her force. "I could barely get him to have a baby with me, much less settle down. You sure you've got the right Saiyan?" Vegeta was clearly growing more and more uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, but they continued anyways.

"Oh please," Koushou laughed. "He probably has more with the amount of people he was with back on Planet Vegeta." Goku felt his fingers mindlessly wrap around the base of his glass and tighten, as though he needed something to ground himself with. 

"I wasn't the first, and I won't be the last. Just as I'm sure you won't be, he gets bored easily." The glass in Goku's hand shattered to pieces, gaining the attention of most, if not all of his friends and family at the table. Chi-Chi pushed her chair back, and rushed to his aid, one hand ripping cloth from her own dress to wrap the wound and the other holding a hand to his cheek for comfort.

It worked, sort of. The only comfort he really felt was when she dragged him out of the room and into the kitchen, in attempt to find medical supplies to help tend to his wound. 

"Goku..." Chi-Chi started, as she searched for some disinfectant spray, even though she knew full-well hat his Saiyan abilities would heal him just fine. "What's wrong? Don't even think of trying to lie to me either mister! I know you, after all." 

He sighed, allowing his shoulders to slump. They'd been separated for some time now, but even so Goku would always care about her and love her, nothing could change that. Not even the fact that she was seeing Picolo now, albeit very gradually and slow he hadn't been mad about it, in fact, he'd seen it coming, really. 

Still, he wished he could've been better to her, even if it was too late now. 

"I just... Vegeta's being distant right now." He scratched at the back of his head. They weren't in any type of established relationship, hell, they hadn't even kissed or hugged, or done the things that he and Chi-Chi had. Just sometimes, more often than not, they'd train at the very first place they met, and sometimes afterwards they would talk and sit really close to one another. Sometimes, Goku would ask to sleepover and Vegeta wouldn't say yes, but he wouldn't say no, and he'd curse him for taking up most of the bed but he'd fall asleep, and hurry out as soon as he woke up once he realized that the allowed for Goku to hold him during the night. 

Goku liked that Vegeta, not the one that stared at him with that icy gaze. 

"I thought we were friends." He added, and tried to ignore the pity look he was receiving from his ex-wife. Maybe their relationship wasn't as strong as he thought, maybe Vegeta was just hanging out with him because he was bored. 

"Goku, look.. I won't try and say that Vegeta's just being distant because he's in shock, or he's not playing nice because his old plaything made a visit because I don't know." She put pressure on his wound and he hissed, attempting to recoil but she didn't allow him to. "What I do know is that you're a pretty decent guy, and you deserve friends who don't ignore you." 

"Yeah, I know what you mean Chi-Chi." She smiled and he smiled, and things felt good between them, like all the hurt and anger just years before had never even existed. "You know, you're pretty smart, Chi-Chi." 

"I know." She squeezed his hand, before releasing him. "Now, time to get cleaned up." 

\-   
Goku didn't really know why they'd all decided to sleep over at Capsule Corp, or why Bulma had even suggested it. They all had houses and homes, and he much would've preferred going back home to his own bed. However, Krillin and Yamcha had both agreed that it was a good idea so that they could keep an eye on Koushou, as she wasn't to be fully trusted yet.

How could he say no to that? I mean really. 

He swung open the door of the bathroom and the steam spiralled out, emptying from the room almost within seconds. With only a towel around his waist, held up mostly by his hand, and his other hand grasping his toothbrush he made his way to the room he'd been given for the night, hoping not to run into anyone.

Of course though, his wish was not to be granted. 

As soon as he rounded the corner he caught sight of Koushou standing outside of what he could only assume to be was Vegeta's door, before he could be detected, he lowered his power levels and pressed his back against the wall where he wouldn't be seen. 

He heard Koushou knock against the material of the door, and within seconds Vegeta's voice filled the hallways.

"You miss me?" She purred, Goku didn't know why he felt it, but his stomach twisted and he felt as if he wanted to run away. "Want to remember how it feels to be with a true Saiyan?"

"Shut up!" Vegeta hissed, and paused for a moment. "Get in." The sound of the door shutting behind them was like a bell chiming in his ear, and that was it. There was nothing else, yet. Goku didn't plan to stay that long.

\-   
Goku tossed and turned for most of the night. He couldn't stop replaying that small yet significant conversation over in his head. How easily he'd let her in, he'd barely resisted. All Goku had to do was try to help him or offer him advice and he was back to his old ways, brooding and hating him from afar. It was exhausting. 

"Do you ever miss Planet Vegeta?" Goku had asked one night, after they had finished training and decided to lay back against the cool, dewy, ground to cool off. There was a pause, a silence that hung in the air a little too long to be anything but comfortable. 

Just as Goku thought Vegeta would skim by it and ignore it, he spoke. "Yes Kakarot, I do..I long for it." There was something so forlorn about his voice and it wasn't much, but Goku reached out to rest his hand against Vegeta's, and the Prince of all Saiyans let him. 

So much for that. He thought, it was unlike him not to be cheery or bubbly, but how could he possibly be either of those when he couldn't close his eyes without thinking of Vegeta and Koushou?

He decided that he would go up onto the roof instead for fresh air, like he enjoyed doing when he drank a little bit, or when Chi-Chi was mad at him and he needed a place to hide. Unfortunately for him, once he got out there his eyes landed on a particular Saiyan, who wasn't far away from him, also perched on the roof. He opted for ducking back inside, but a steely voice stopped him.

"Kakarot." Vegeta said, though he wasn't sure what his undertones meant. Was he angry at him? There was no reason for him to be. 

"Prince Vegeta." He answered back, just as roughly as the other saiyan had said to him. He saw Vegeta's head move out of the corner of his eyes, and ignored the fibres of his beings that screamed at him to look back at him. He found that he didn't want to, and that troubled him. 

Vegeta hadn't technically done anything wrong. But still, something told Goku in his gut that he wouldn't be waking up with Vegeta accidentally in his arms. At least, not anymore. He didn't like how that made him feel, not at all.

"You're angry with me." Vegeta said, still lacking emotion to his tone of voice.

"No." Goku said simply. "I have no reason to be angry with you." 

Vegeta scoffed, softly. "Kakarot you idiot! Stop playing coy with me." Goku didn't even know what he should tell Vegeta and what he shouldn't, anything that could blindsight him might make him want to run away. 

"You're my friend," Goku answered. "I just want you to be happy."

There was that same silence like the night they had laid in the grass and talked about their home planet, but Vegeta didn't feel as close now as he did then. He felt so far away, out of reach even. Goku felt like he'd lost him even though he was only a few feet away. 

"Okay." Was all he said, and Goku ducked back inside after. 

\- 

Days had passed since, and Goku had decided that he would meet Vegeta at their usual training spot for their weekly meetings. There was no reason that he should pass up an opportunity to train and become stronger, even if he wasn't that interested in seeing Vegeta.

Still, a small part of him was excited.

Until of course, he reached their training grounds and Vegeta was nowhere to be found. 

Goku waited.

He waited for minutes.

He waited for hours.

He waited until the sun began to set and still, Vegeta didn't show.

It was the first time Vegeta hadn't shown up, and it wouldn't be the last. 

-

As time went on, Goku saw less and less of him. Vegeta didn't come around for training anymore, no matter how long Goku waited for him. They didn't lay in the grass together, and they definitely hadn't fallen asleep together in weeks, maybe months? He wasn't sure, the days were sort of blurred and blended together. 

He hadn't tried to visit Bulma's place, but she hadn't invited him around either. Which was pretty unusual, he found that as more time went on, he became more and more lonely. 

That was the worst part of it all, he decided; the loneliness. 

\- 

When Goku had fallen sick with a heart virus, he had been told that he had only a certain amount of time left to live. It was something new, dangerous, and a vaccine would be developed only long after he was gone. 

In his last days, Vegeta still hadn't shown. He had said goodbye to his family, his friends, all of his loved ones and still Vegeta couldn't be bothered to make an entrance. 

"Chi-Chi.. come." He beckoned her to lean down, whispered something in her ear and with teary eyes, she held his weak hands in her own. She nodded, vision blurred by the liquid building up in them, she would've never guessed that the strongest man she ever knew, would be reduced to this. 

The monitor slowed, and gradually dropped into one long, static, and defeating beep. 

-

Vegeta stood off to the side, his body felt numb as his mind drowned out the sounds of Goku's family blubbering about him up at the stand, everyone around him was sniffling, but he refused to even believe for a second that Kakarot was gone. They could bring him back with the dragonballs, they'd done it before. They could do it again. 

"Poor thing." Koushou sniffled. "I guess it's up to us to repopulate." 

Vegeta ignored her, and the funeral passed by him in a blur. When it was over, Chi-Chi had pulled him off to the side, her face was red and blotchy, she'd probably been crying a lot. 

"Vegeta," She sighed. "I wasn't going to even bother telling you this.. but this was his last wish, so I will." 

Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms. "Don't bother. Kakarot can tell me once he's back."

Chi-Chi blinked. "Back?" She sounded confused. 

"When we wish him back with the dragonballs, he can tell me then." Vegeta's voice was firm and unwavering, even as he watched Kakarot's ex-wife's eyes fill up with tears all over again.

"Vegeta, he can't come back," His eyes flickered to hers. "This death... it's natural." 

The reality slapped him in the face, and he noticeably felt his shoulders slump. He felt numb all over again, a feeling he normally welcomed but would do anything to get rid of. 

"He wanted me to tell you that..." She wiped at the corners of her eyes. "That he loved you, but he couldn't tell you because you loved another. He wanted you to be happy." She nodded at him, willing her tears not to fall. "That is what he asked me to tell you."

And then she was gone, and Vegeta was left the realization that he'd made a mistake he wouldn't ever be able to fix. Not in this lifetime. Goku was gone, permanently, and nothing he could've done could change that.

But why didn't he show up? 

Something he'd never get to explain to Kakarot now, or ever.


	2. Dead Men Tell No Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku’s dead, and this is what his life in the Otherworld looks like now — Yikes!

Dead.

Goku had been dead many times before this one, it wasn't his first time, and surely it wouldn't be his last. He had always been ready to go back, always felt that pull in his chest, the desire to protect his loved ones always driving him, always guiding him.

And of course, Vegeta.

However, in such a short few years, things had changed greatly. The greatest warrior Earth had ever known, taken by nothing more than a measly heart disease he wasn't prepared to take on. Vegeta had moved on, so painfully fast and effortlessly that it made Goku's chest feel tight thinking about it.. and Chi-Chi had given birth, to their second child – apparently she had fallen pregnant some time before their split.

It had taken him some time to realize that he wasn't going back this time. There would be no pull, he wouldn't feel the grass underneath his toes, and he would no longer be able to fish with his sons that were growing with every day that passed.

He would never see Vegeta again.

Then again, did he want to? He had abandoned him, completely and while Goku was never one to hold grudges, loyalty was something that mattered to him greatly. Apparently Vegeta did not share the same sentiment, apparently he never did.

He had a lot of time to reflect upon his life while living in the Otherworld. Where he went wrong, things he wished he knew before, things he wished he would've said and time.. he wished he had more time.

That didn't matter now.

"Son." A voice, deep and gruff called out to him, pulling him from his train of thoughts and back into reality. Back to his present, where he lived in the Otherworld. "You must pay attention, this is important if we are to thwart the enemy."

Soft dark eyes settled on the bigger version of himself, a spitting image of one another save for the scar lining the older Saiyan's cheek, and the faded marks of battles fought in a life that no longer existed. Bardock, his father, stood at the head of a dark wooden table, looking down at him from his position.

"Yeah. Sorry." He responded, his father nodded at him.

It hadn't been like this at first, in the beginning it had been him, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory, looking for a place to build their home in the afterlife. Then, after King Kai's life had been restored, along with his counterparts he and Goku shared a sorrowful goodbye, and Goku left to find his place in the Otherworld.

In the few short months that followed, he had found it. It hadn't been easy either, it took him following conversation and small tidbits of gossip to even get an idea of what the creatures of the Otherworld had been talking about in the first place. However, once he caught wind of other Saiyans living in some of the deeper depths of the Otherworld, he knew that it was his duty to set out and find them.

It hadn't taken him as long as he thought it would to find the Saiyans, as much as Frieza had lied to make them seem dumber than they actually were, they weren't all that smart. In fact, they were quite loud, and the remnants of bone, meat, as well as their loud voices had led them to the place they now called home.

Home for the Saiyan's now consisted of a thick vast forest, as well as the deep caves that ran underneath the ground that they used for shelter during the bad weather. Above ground they had situated tents and other shelters to keep watch, but if they really needed the extra protection they could wait out their enemies in the caves and use strategic planning to get around them, instead of attacking head on.

Despite this though, they had attacked Goku head on. They had managed to be both quick and quiet enough that Goku hadn't even had a chance to tap into his chi to sense them before they had hit him over the back of the head with a rock, rendering him unconscious.

It had taken him months to gain their trust, nevermind to have them believe his story. The only reason why some of the Saiyans believed he was who he claimed to be was because of his resemblance to Bardock - his father, otherwise he would've likely been killed now.

"An imposter dares to enter The Forest of Vegeta. Under who's permission?" King Vegeta had narrowed his eyes then, twinkling with accusations and assumptions. Goku had been flustered then, as King Vegeta and his son looked a lot alike, and it had been some time since he had seen the Prince. However, the King took his silence for mockery.

It was weird how much they respected each other now.

"Kakarot, the threat grows stronger with each day." King Vegeta pulled him from his thoughts once more, his voice so similar to Prince Vegeta's he could almost pretend it was his, if he wanted to. "We need to come up with a solution, fast."

"We have patrols out, right?" Goku asked, his father and The King exchanged glances, before nodding in confirmation.

"We need to keep those going. We don't know what we're dealing with yet, or if they're a real threat to us." He said, staring down at his hands.

"They're not." King Vegeta said, firmly.

Goku nodded. "Of course they're not, but it's only smart to get the upper hand on them, that way we can take them out without the fuss."He explained simply, knowing that even the smallest ego stroke would support his argument.

"Hm." King Vegeta grunted, and allowed himself to sink into one of the many chairs, the darkness that the cave provided casted a shadow over his brooding figure.

They had done well since Goku had arrived, furnishing the caves and making living areas out of what little they had — it was kind of impressive, honestly.

“Why don’t we just kill whatever it is?” Bardock asked, scarred arms crossed over the expanse of his chest. King Vegeta seemed to sit up straighter at that, nodding his head.

“I like that idea. Thank you Soldier.” The King grinned, Bardock nodded.

It was so weird to see older, more grown versions of him and Vegeta getting along. Could they have been like that? Had they tried harder? There was no use in wondering now.

“I say we storm out there, it can’t take on all of us. My men are itching to fight, they might start fighting amongst one another.” King Vegeta stood once again,and shared another glance with Bardock.

“What if it can take all of us? The safest route is to keep the patrols—”

Goku was soon interrupted by a solider crashing into the room, by the looks of his hair and similar facial features to his own — it was his brother, Raditz. Which was a weird thing in itself.

The first time he had met Raditz... well, it hadn’t gone too smoothly. Now they were neutral towards each other, at best they were polite. It was as though he were living in another time zone of the sorts, like he had taken a time machine to the past.

Only, this wasn’t the past, it was the future and right now Raditz was staring at them with wide eyes.

“We’ve caught the enemy King Vegeta.” Raditz stated, and stepped aside to allow to other Saiyans to drag the attacker inside their meeting area. “But I think.. you’ll want to see this. Excuse me for speaking out of turn.”

“This better be good.”

Goku hoped it was, for his brother’s sake.

“The attacker.. well..”

The other Saiyan’s pushed the attacker forward and Goku’s breath left his chest as soon as his eyes settled on a pair of gloved hands. Albeit filthy and torn, there was no mistaking them. They were his, this was–

“Kakarot.” Vegeta spit his name out of his mouth as though it were poison, as though the very thought of it made him sick. He lunged for him, but Raditz was quick to get in his way.

“Raditz get out of my way or–“

“Sorry Prince,” He began sheepishly. “We have strict orders that no harm is to come to Kakarot, a first class soldier and–“

Vegeta’s face fell and he lunged for him again. Clearly, weakened, otherwise Raditz attempts would be futile.

“That is enough!” King Vegeta bellowed, and Goku took a knee immediately, he knew better than to make King Vegeta angrier. Most of the soldiers present followed his lead, besides the Prince, of course. Why would he listen to simple directions? “Kakarot has become my most trusted soldier–“

“Your most trusted soldier!?” Vegeta was disgusted, utterly taken aback, it stung. A little.

“If you’ll let me finish.” King Vegeta narrowed his eyes, the Prince quieted but the look of defiance was still written across his expression. “And he is my most valuable weapon. He is the key in helping us reign hell down on anyone who dares to come close to us.” He gestured for Goku to rise and the Saiyan complied.

“Never shall the likes of Frieza rule over our people again. In fact, I met up with him not too long ago here in the Otherworld.” King Vegeta chuckled, and moved on.

“He is my most prized possession, and I will kill anyone who harms him. Even you, son.” The sentiment would’ve been nice, if he wasn’t being used and loved solely for the purpose that he was stronger than most of the aliens here.

“Bardock, take Raditz to the Springs and Kakarot — show my son around, then I expect you to do your patrolling. Clear?” King Vegeta looked at him expectantly, while his son stood in the center of the room, staring into the void.

Goku grinned. “Yep! Sounds good.”

Not.  
  



	3. King's Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku spars with a friend that isn’t Vegeta.   
> Vegeta doesn’t like how crucial Goku is in his world.

Silence.

That was all that hung between them. Deafening, ear-ringing, white-noise, silence.

Goku almost would've preferred if Vegeta began yelling at him, he could take that. After all, that was almost their entire dynamic. Vegeta yelling, and Goku just.. taking whatever he threw at him. 

"So... I guess you were the enemy King Vegeta was talking about, huh 'Geta?" Goku asked, scratching at the back of his neck in an awkward manner. 

Goku flinched when the Vegeta turned on him with wild eyes, eyes so full of hatred and anger that it caused his breath to catch. He hadn't seen Vegeta look at many people with hate in his eyes, the last time he had looked so violent was when they fought Frieza. 

"So what!? You're my father's pet now!?" He shouted so loud, Goku was surprised the walls hadn't begun to shake. 

"Woah, hold on.." Goku put his hands up in defence, but the Prince was having none of it, as always.

"This is what you've been doing for the last eight years!? Starting some relationship with my father!? Getting in good with the Saiyans!? Well let me make one thing clear, this is my world! Not yours!" 

Goku parted his lips to speak, but clearly "So... you don't want me to take you on a tour?" weren't the correct words to use, as the prince had stormed out of the room in response, albeit the wrong way.

"It's the other way!" Goku called, and listened as the prince cursed him to the deepest depths of hell. 

"Huh, I guess I won't be giving him the tour after all." The Saiyan mumbled to himself, and waited a few extra minutes before heading out of the caves himself. While he did want to give the prince a tour like the King had instructed, he also knew that seeking out Vegeta would only cause a fight — so he opted for patrolling instead.

He exited the caves and scanned the clearing, after figuring out that the enemy wasn't anything to be worried about, and more so a friend of their species many old friends had gathered in the clearing to greet the Prince, who was seated on one of the logs over by the fire. 

Goku noticed Raditz sat by his side, while Nappa was nagging him for taking his life so long ago. The other Saiyans asked about his whereabouts when their planet had blown up, and why he hadn't joined them sooner, but Goku ignored most of the conversation as he breezed by, not wanting to draw anymore of Vegeta's negative attention on him. 

"Hey Blondie!" A familiar voice called out, Goku didn't have to turn his head to know that it was one of the only friends he'd made running to his side; a caramel skinned Saiyan, with long white hair fashioned into a braid down his muscled back, one eye a hazel while the other was a faded grey, with an old, jagged, scar running through it, rendering him half-blind.

"Shio." Goku said warmly, once the giant of a Saiyan had settled into a walking pace at his side. "It's good to see you." 

Shio grinned, Goku could see it out of the corner of his eyes. "King Vegeta had a chunk of us out there searching for supplies and resources. Took a few days, sorry I didn't get to see you off." It was hard to make friends here, genuine friends, when you were the King's pet, but Shio had been the best part of it all. 

"No problem!" He assured, genuinely.

"So..." Shio trailed off, the shit-eating grin never left his lips. "You wanna spar after? I've been training and I think I've got you beat." 

Goku rolled his eyes. "You say that every time and every time you get beat up in front of everyone." 

"Just wait." Shio grinned. "You'll see." 

-  
-  
-  
-

Patrolling had gone much faster than usual, perhaps it was the fact that Shio was back, joined back at his side that made the days go by faster or perhaps it was the mere fact that Prince Vegeta was here, and Goku didn't know if he wanted to see him again or not. 

He wasn't the same as he remembered, not in the slightest and it bothered him, a little. 

Which is why this was good.

He stood a few feet away from Shio, who, like at the beginning of any match refused to wear a shirt and sometimes that very small factor made things very distracting for Goku. 

He insisted that it made him faster, Goku always called bullshit. 

"You're gonna eat your words very soon, Blondie!" Shio called from across the clearing, as he stretched and flexed his muscles. Again, something that caught Goku's attention but he didn't let his focus falter, at least not this time. 

There was one thing about Shio that everyone knew. 

He couldn't keep a secret. So, he had gone and done exactly what Goku hadn't wanted; informed the king of their sparring match. To which, in his son's honour and in celebration of his return, he decided that they would all watch. 

He had wanted to punch Shio at first. Then, he decided it was a way to show Shio that he had gotten stronger too, and maybe the blood in his veins pumped a little harder and faster knowing Prince Vegeta was watching too. Maybe. 

"Kakarot." The King called from the sidelines, where he sat in a makeshift throne. Vegeta sat next to him but looked disinterested in what was taking place, he looked pissed. 

"Come." He beckoned, and Goku obeyed. 

King Vegeta gestured for him to lean and Goku listened, keeping his expression stony as the King mumbled ever so quietly; "Remember what I taught you." 

His back tickled, reminding him of the wounds that rested there. Old and scarred over, but tarnished nonetheless. He nodded. "Of course your majesty" and returned to the battlefield, without another look in the King's direction. 

Don't lose. The King's voice rang throughout his skull, and Vegeta's eyes, full of hatred and anger, all towards him... he didn't want to think of it. Not now anyways. 

"Tsk. Tsk." Shio clicked his tongue once he had joined him back on the sparring fields. "Late as always. You're officially the worst sparring partner." 

Goku rolled his eyes. "I'm your only sparring partner." 

And just like that, the match begun. It had started with Shio catching Goku off guard, what with the mixed feelings he was having and that beautiful chest of his, he had lost his footing and Shio had managed to quite literally sweep him off his feet and smash him back into the ground with nothing but his fists.

His back screamed at him. 

Just as Shio was cocking his arm back to land another blow, Goku sprang up, bare feet connecting with the white haired warrior's face and sending him flying backwards. 

There, now he was recalibrated.

He heard the crunch of Shio cracking his neck, and while he didn't hear the Saiyan's attempt to rush him, he surely felt it, and just as he was zeroing in on him, he moved out of the way, so fast that Shio stood for a moment, looking around for him. 

He appeared above him, and with his hands wound together in a fist, he brought all his force down upon his friend from above, sending them both flying to the ground. 

Goku grinned down at his friend. "Give up yet?"

Shio's eyes glinted mischievously. "I'm not even close to being done with you yet." 

Again, Goku dodged his advances when the scarred male attempted to grab him, and just for his sake, he threw a half-assed punch at his shoulder, causing him only to stumble. This seemed to frustrate his friend, as it always did and he began to lay into him with punches. 

Goku laughed. 

"Kakarot!" The King called once more, interrupting their fun. "Use your Kamehameha." He heard the Prince begin to say something, but the King was quick to cut him off. "Now." 

He could not defy him. 

His back screamed at him. 

He looked at his dumbfounded friend, never had Goku used anything that could kill him, he didn't want that. Clearly though, the King was expecting some form of entertainment and Goku was supposed to humour him. 

No, he had to. 

"You need to dodge this," He mumbled, Shio looked confused still. "Or it will kill you." 

Goku positioned his hands at his side, fingers curling in a cupping formation. He felt his nerves spark, despite his attempts to desperately stuff them down. He needed to keep a level head if he didn't want to take the life of his friend, he needed to control this. 

"Kame..." He felt the air pulse with energy, and the space between his hands pulsate and watched as his friends eyes widened at the ball forming between his hands.

"Blondie, I'm not so sure about this.." Shio mumbled, eyebrows furrowed. 

I'm sorry. 

His back screamed.

I'm so sorry. 

"Hame..." He felt the power lick up the sides of his body, like flames threatening to engulf him. He understood well what I meant, that if he allowed himself to go too far he would no longer be in control of it. 

"He's not serious!?" He heard Vegeta whisper-shout, and felt his power levels increase a fair amount. He wondered if those were his nerves, was he worried about him?

He didn't need to be.

"Ha!" He released the blast, and was engulfed in a blinding white light. 

I'm sorry. 

-  
-  
-  
-

“Kakarot get off me!” He heard someone grumble from beside him, like their voice was right in his ears. He knew this voice, similar to King Vegeta’s but without so much of the gruffness and aggressiveness. Though, the beginnings of it for sure. 

“You heavy idiot, someone get him off me!” Again they yelled, and from beneath him Goku could feel the person struggling. 

Before long, his vision began to spot with colour, blues and pinks, blacks and browns until it had cleared and he was staring at a very pissed off Vegeta. 

He looked good, Goku noted. 

“Geta?” He groaned, his arms felt like jelly and his head rang with a sharp pain. 

“Oh goody you’re awake!” Vegeta grunted sarcastically, and again attempted to shove him off by using only the palm of his hands against his chest. 

“Did I hurt him?” Goku asked softly, more vulnerable than he meant to but worried all the same. Vegeta seemed to pause in his thrashing for a moment, just to glare up at him for a second, a second where his expression was.. something else. 

He sighed. “Look, I don’t know anything about your stupid boyfriend Kakarot! What I do know is that if you don’t get off of me, I will kill you!” 

Goku pushed himself up, and pulled himself to a sitting position so he could see the damage he’d done. He hadn’t realized that his Kamehameha had singed and burnt through parts of his clothing, but the Saiyan’s evacuating Shio were enough to tell him that he’d done real damage, irreversible. 

Vegeta was still at his side, for some reason. “Welcome to being a Saiyan Kakarot, time to get over it.” 

Goku stared at him, he hadn’t really had a chance to look at him yet. To really relish in the fact that he was here, with him. Maybe it was because he clearly wanted nothing to do with him, or maybe it was because a part of him was still hurt by his actions. 

Maybe it was both.

“Stop staring at me!” Vegeta grumbled, almost childishly and Goku’s attention flickered to the King making his way over, with Bardock in tow. 

“Excellent.” Was the King’s first words. “You truly are outstanding in both power and strength. A Saiyan’s, Saiyan.” His father nodded in agreement. 

“Will you be fit to join Shio’s ranks?” The King asked suddenly, and Goku couldn’t help but blink, pain subsiding momentarily. 

“You mean, leave?” He asked, a little too excitedly.

“As in, going on a mission and returning, soldier.” Bardock corrected him, to which Goku nodded at and The King grinned. 

“Perfect.” He said. “Son, take Kakarot to the Springs. Shio should be headed there as well. He will need to heal.” 

“Father—“ The prince began, but King Vegeta had already turned his back on him. 

I’m sorry.


	4. Don’t Know You like I Used to

"Embarrassing." Vegeta grumbled under his breath, one of his arms was looped around Goku's waist while the other was steady holding his arm which was positioned around the back of his neck. So much of him was on Vegeta, and it was clearly a problem when it had never been one before. "My own father truly thinks of me as nothing more than a... slave." 

"Okay." Goku grunted, stepping away from Vegeta in a sort of half-limp in which his muscles screamed at him. "Thanks 'Geta. I can take it from here." 

Vegeta blinked at him, but he didn't leave. "You think I'm incapable of guiding you to a Hot Springs? What? I'm not good enough..." His voice drowned out and his words began blurring together, it really wasn't that he wasn't good enough — the spot where his fingers rested around his waist still burned – he just couldn't take how different this Vegeta was. 

Dead or not. 

"Idiot! You dare ignore me!?" Vegeta shoved him, and Goku let him, falling on his behind upon impact. "The ground looks good on you Kakarot, you've clearly found your place here." The prince mocked, and without so much as a second glance he turned and slinked away. 

Almost a perfect mirror of his father.

Almost. 

-  
-  
-  
-

As he approached the Hot Springs, his dark eyes settled on a familiar head of white-hair. Shio's face was scrunched in an expression of pain, definitely soreness, and his eyes were closed, so he hadn't seem Goku yet. He was facing towards him, his back pressed against what the Saiyan was sure to be hot rocks. 

His anonymity left before long, upon taking a few clumsy steps towards the Springs, Shio's eyes flew open and for a mere second Goku almost thought he saw a flicker of fear in them. 

"Hey Blondie." Shio struggled, and Goku felt every fibre of his being burn with shame. He would've never allowed something like that to happen had any of his Earth friends been threatened, so why him? Perhaps because he knew he would be able to take it, perhaps because he hadn't directly been aiming for him despite King Vegeta's orders.

"Shio.." Goku started, sadly, but before he could continue he was cut off. 

"Don't," There was almost a please in there. "Just.. join me. You look pretty awful." 

The blonde-haired Saiyan nodded, and lifted himself over the side of the Springs, albeit slowly. The hot water felt good on his skin, on the soreness and tightness in his muscles. A sigh rolled off his lips, and with a soft smile he allowed himself to relax against the hot side of the Springs. 

"I didn't know you could do that," Shio said lightly. "The Kamehame — whatever. Can all of us do that?" 

Goku shrugged and nodded his head a little. "I guess so, but you'd have to train under Master Roshi for a little while." 

Shio tiled his head. "Master Roshi?" 

"Yeah!" The blonde exclaimed, almost too excitedly. "He was my Sensai, back on Earth. He trained me and my friends the way of Martial Arts." 

"Huh," Shio clicked his tongue. "Martials Arts? You really are weird, Blondie. Are there any other secrets I don't know about you – is your hair dyed?" 

Goku laughed, glad that the tension between them had faded and was replaced with their usual friendly bantering. "Well technically it's not my real hair — see." He gestured to his hair, which he had allowed to fall back into it's messy style atop his head and return back to its inky roots, no longer held up by his Saiyan power. 

"Oh." Shio blinked, almost looking dumbfounded. "No wonder why the King likes you so much." He teased, Goku struggled to find the humour in that.

"Yeah," He said, uncomfortably. More aware of the never fading ache along his back. "No wonder." 

Steam rolled up between them, creating a wall where they could barely see each other. However, when the smoke cleared, Goku noticed that Shio had moved closer to him, albeit only a little. 

"Hey, Kakarot?" Shio asked, catching said male off-guard for a second. He hardly ever called him by his Saiyan name. In fact, he usually opted for his Earth name or Blondie, he said that he liked those better. 

"Yeah?" Goku asked, tilting his head to the side curiously. 

"Do you ever get...lonely?" 

The Saiyan blinked and relaxed back into the water. He hadn't really had time to think of it, to think of the absence of his wife, ignoring the constant reminders that, aside from Shio, he was truly and utterly alone. Living out a dream he had played over and over again in his mind, but with different details. He was always curious about where he came from, what his people were like and now he knew.

"Maybe." He answered, simply. Shio stared at him. 

"Have you ever..." The white-haired Saiyan began, but trailed off, looking sheepish? Goku didn't really know how to place the emotion on his friends face, but he continued before he could even ask. "Have you ever been with anyone?" 

"I have kids." Goku responded defensively. For some reason, whenever he told anyone about his children they always asked How. He always shrugged it off, and assumed they just didn't know. Maybe?

"Oh, okay." Shio responded, a little awkwardly, but plowed forth anyways. "Have you ever been with a Saiyan?" Again, he slid forwards, so close that Goku could reach out and touch him if he wanted to. 

His mind flashed to Vegeta and Koshou, her knocking at his door and him rushing her in. He had always been so.. distant and aggressive when it came to him, never allowing him to even come close – even sleeping next to one another by accident was taxing for Vegeta, and somehow his fault. 

"No," He answered. "Just Chi-Chi." 

Not that he minded, Chi-Chi was always enough, more than enough for him, and he loved her with his whole heart. Which was something he almost wished he had fixed before he died. 

"Would you want to try?" Shio asked, and Goku felt the palm of his hand brush against his forearm, and up out of the water to squeeze his bicep. "You don't have to," Shio assured him, upon seeing the confusion written across his features. "I just – I think you're pretty amazing." 

"Gee Shio... that's very nice of you." Goku felt his cheeks burn, a mixture of confused feelings and him being a bundle of nerves. He was never good with.. flirting. Even when they were children, Chi-Chi would rave about how they would one day be married. Back then, he didn't even know what marriage was. He knew how to keep Chi-Chi happy, for the most part — but this? He didn't understand this. 

"I–" Shio had made a move to get even closer, and just as Goku was about to say something, they were interrupted by an obnoxious somebody clearing their throats from behind them. They broke apart from one another, and turned to find both Vegeta and Raditz, glaring down at them.

"Pathetic." Raditz spat, Goku suddenly felt vulnerable, realizing that besides their boxers, they were wearing nothing else. 

"Raditz, what do you want?" Shio sighed, and helped Goku into a stand. He was still sore, but not so much that he couldn't walk himself.

"Personal escort. You're to brief the soldiers about the upcoming mission, and you're to be there." Raditz explained, eyes flickering back and forth from between the two of them. 

"And yet you call me pathetic." Shio muttered, and stepped out of the Hot Springs to grab his clothing and dress himself, and Goku followed suit, only feeling comfortable again once his Orange Ki suit was settled against his skin. 

"What was that?" Raditz pricked, and Goku sighed.

Shio puffed up his chest. "I just think it's funny how you call us pathetic when you're the one following orders like a bitch." 

Raditz growled low in his throat. "You dare insult your higher like that!? What you speak is treason!" Goku's brother stepped forwards into a fighting stance, and Shio, the ever stubborn-headed one didn't bother to diffuse the situation.

"Guys, stop." Goku sighed, allowing his hair to rise and shift to it's blonde colour, his eyes changing from a dark brown to a light blue. Shio glanced back at him, and though every fibre of his being screamed from backing away from a fight, he sighed and nodded.

"Blondie's right, this mission is important, more important than any of you." He grumbled, and brushed past Raditz and Vegeta, ignoring the daggers they were glaring at him. 

"Right," Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Now that you and your girlfriend are done."

"He's not my girlfriend." Goku mumbled, awkwardly. 

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Are you really that dense Kakarot?" And turned in his heel to walk away, head held high and figure as rigid as ever. 

This was not the Vegeta he knew.


End file.
